Top end mass manufactured bikes you could see on a start line in the early 90s - Stumpjumper, Explosif, Team Marin, Clockwork (perhaps not the latter for top end).
pre 96or so deffo cool, and seeing the team tit and a merlin reminds
me of a stint working in inverness and having to step over both these
out side a bakers i used for lunch ,across the road from a private school
the 2 teenage owners in side buying bridies or whatever
then wheelieing off up the street whilst eating said item
and the first ali indian fire trail was a beautiful bike
and the bob buckley /team tit/mt tam ads are still one of my faves
Pre 1995, working mans crumpet. At the time i hankered after a Bear Valley more than I hankered after the bird at the back of the class with the big tits The time being 1991 :shock:
The Ford Mondeo of bikes (Cannondale are Vauxhall Vectra, GT are Honda Accords) - solid, dependable, reliable, good value, sold in their millions and are desperately uncool and dull.
As with the cars nothing much changes from one year to the next except paint or a few parts. As with the cars you get bombarded by a large marketing campaign from a big company. As with the cars loads of people own them but few normal kids have posters of them on their walls. There are mass producers out there that that get the cool thing (like Kona, Specialized or Orange) but not Marin.
Can't knock the fact that they are good bikes but having built and sold hundreds of the buggers in the 90s I haven't got a place in my heart for them.
EDIT: although I will also say that Mr Ks is cool, a sort of ST220 of Marins:
Sorry, just has that effect on me, only bikes I liked were their trellis framed full susses of the late 90's onward. Now Dale do a bike that looks similar so must've been a reasonable idea.